Powdered laundry detergents have often been made by simply spray drying an aqueous slurry of the ingredients and adding to the spray dried powder any required additional ingredients such as heat sensitive bleaches, bleach precursors, enzymes, etc. The densities of powders resulting from such processes have generally been low. Recently, it has been thought desirable to be able to offer to the consumer a product of higher density, i.e., a more concentrated product. Such a product would be expected to have among its advantages the fact that less detergent powder would be used to effect a comparable amount of cleaning and that less storage space would be required as a result of its concentrated nature.
Changes in the density of detergent powders also require changes in the packaging of such powders. For instance, the increase in density makes desirable the use of smaller packages to take advantage of the increased concentration of the product. Moreover, smaller packages and the inclusion of handles are desirable due to the increased weight of the product.
A previous package for containing detergent powders of higher concentrations has been sold in one or more foreign countries. The package includes four principal panels, which constitute the four walls of the carton. The walls are shorter than those of the typical detergent carton. Attached to the principal panels are the glue flap and various major and minor flaps for closing the top and bottom ends of the carton. Attached to the two side panels of the carton is a handle. The handle is attached by means of a rivet extending through the handle and the side panel near each end of the handle. The rivet is received within a slot at each end of the handle. The slots permit the handle to extend across the front of the carton blank during shipping, across the front of the erected carton during storage and display, and across the top of the carton as a handle during use by the consumer.
An additional desirable feature for such cartons is a tear tape opening. While previous cartons having tear tape openings are known, they generally are characterized by certain disadvantages. One known carton includes a tear tape functionally extending through three panels of the carton, a first side panel, the front panel, and a second side panel, leaving the rear panel substantially intact and free to function as a hinge. The tear tape is situated approximately 1/5 of the way down from the top of the panels and the aspects above the tear line function as a cover.
A disadvantage of the prior tear tape carton is the lack of support for the cover once the tear tape has been removed. Also, components which tend to escape upon exposure to the air, such as perfumes, may be lost, and components which are sensitive to moisture may be damaged since the barrier properties of such cartons are less than optimal.
A further previous carton has included a tear tape spaced from the top and extending completely through all four sides of the carton, so that the cover created by the tape can be completely removed. This prior carton includes a four-sided liner, each wall of which corresponds closely in dimension to the four panels of the carton. The liner serves to retain the cover on the carton after the tear tape has been pulled. However, the removable cover may be misplaced. Moreover, use of a removable cover tends to maximize the exposure of the product to the air and moisture and increases the potential for loss of volatile components.